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Posts: 672
Location: New South Wales, Australia | G'day....anyone out there got any tips on thumb exercises.
I broke my left thumb about 20 years ago and now at nearly 43 all those old injuries are starting to catch up with me.
I can play open chords all day but after 30 minutes or more of barre chords I'm really struggling.
So if anyone has any advice as to thumb strengthening exercises I'd be really grateful. Don't want my playing career to end just yet.
I play right handed |
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October 2006
Posts: 5576
Location: big island | sure, me and my daughters exercise our thumbs every day:
"where is thumbkin, where is thumbkin
here i am, here i am
how are you today sir
very fine i thank you
run away, run away" |
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January 2007
Posts: 672
Location: New South Wales, Australia | Thanks Randy...I was waiting for an answer like this :D :D :D .....masturbation jokes are also welcome although I've probably heard them all ;) |
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Posts: 3145
Location: Marlton, NJ | Oz - I can sympathize. I was playing a song in church this morning in the key of F and man my thumb was totally cramped by the end of the song. I'd be interested in responses to this one as well. I have one of those Gripmasters - hasn't really helped yet though. |
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Posts: 15682
Location: SoCal | Either capo up on the 3rd fret and play with D chords, or just grab the F chord and catch the bass F note with your left thumb... |
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Posts: 672
Location: New South Wales, Australia | Excuse my ignorance, CrimsonLake, but what's a Gripmaster :confused: |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Gee Oz, I don't know what to tell ya...
But I look forward to any serious answers, cuz me and Barre chords don't get along.
But I will tell you that in about seven more years, alot more of those little aches will turn-up. And you will remember how you thought they were no big deal when they originally happened. |
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Location: big island | all ya gotta do guys is...are you ready for this?...
quit eating meat and drinking sodas. your joints will thank you for it. |
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January 2007
Posts: 672
Location: New South Wales, Australia | Originally posted by Lanaki:
all ya gotta do guys is...are you ready for this?...
quit eating meat and drinking sodas. your joints will thank you for it. ......cough cough, splutter splutter...sorry Randy I was just choking on my barbecued T-bone. :D It's lunch time here......now...where did I put that gravy? |
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January 2007
Posts: 672
Location: New South Wales, Australia | ......but seriously Randy..how does it work? |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Suppose you want me to quit smoking and drinking coffee too?
Don't see how that will help my crappy barre chord technique. |
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October 2006
Posts: 5576
Location: big island | old man arthur, it's okay to drink coffee but why are you smoking it? ;) |
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October 2006
Posts: 5576
Location: big island | Originally posted by ozwatto:
......but seriously Randy..how does it work? "i reckon i don't rightly know, but it do", as spoken by jed clampett
all i know is vegeterians have markedly less joint and arthritic problems. the vegans who don't consume dairy or eggs, even less. i ain't a full-on vegeterian but my red meat consumption is miniscule.
no pork, some chicken, some turkey and plenty fresh hawaiian waters fish, but only the kind with fins and scales please. lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. and ice cream, plenty of ice cream!
i don't wanna get on another one of those long-winded diatribes about meat, especially pork, as back in the days of yore when i first joined the OFC. just wanted to offer a possible solution to those who suffer with joint pains, which alot of guitar players experience.
oh...did i mention ice cream? gotta have it!!!
as far as soda consumption, there is miles of credible, documented info on the internet on the things the cola makers don't want you to know. especially diet sodas containing aspertame. it's a conspiracy, i tell ya'! |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | No Catfish?
I'm screwed on the sodas... I drink those cheapie store brand things all day at work, then coffee at home. And my hands and wrists are alittle tight.
(my knees ain't so great either)
I attributed alot of this to age. I decided to buy the pseudo-Strat for my 49th birthday. Got myself the 1621 for my 50th. (all the rest just for the fun of it) Do you think, maybe, it was a bad idea to try to take up a craft that needs dexterity after years of punching walls and manual labor?
:confused: |
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November 2006
Posts: 217
Location: Snåsa, Norway | One thing to focus on is the force you use to grip your chords. Experiment with loosening the pressure to find how much you need to get the notes ringing out. Also focus on the index finger on the barre chords, how to put it on the finger board to minimize the pressure needed to make tones ring. When playing try to release tension whenever possible, allowing blood circulation in your fingers. If the barres are the problem, find other chords to vary with. |
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Posts: 5576
Location: big island | old man arthur
~yup, catfish ain't good fer ya. it's a scavenger. farm raised are slightly better than wild caught.
i'm 50 also. i suffer from GAS pains once in a while and the occasional sore back from trying to keep up with two rambunctious toddlers. that's when i really feel my age. other than that, no joint or arthritis type pains, which my mom suffers terribly with. mom was an RC Cola addict for years. |
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August 2006
Posts: 3145
Location: Marlton, NJ | This is a Gripmaster:
Gripmaster |
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January 2005
Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | I'm extremely disappointed in myself that I have not come up with some witty response to this thread. Jeezuz, a slow handing curve balll and I completely wiff ...
Dave |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | ". . G'day....anyone out there got any tips on thumb exercises . ."
Hitch-hike around the Island once. |
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October 2006
Posts: 5576
Location: big island | :D :D :D i enjoy cliff-notes |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by CrimsonLake:
This is a Gripmaster:
Gripmaster
Does the thing work?
[if not, I just keep-on keeping-on] |
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November 2005
Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia |
Am I the only one who can't see the thumb button on this thing? I mean, it works everything BUT the thumb! Really, what's WITH that? |
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Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | One word- Vicadin |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Two words -- Oxy-cotin
[makes folks Oxy-Morons] |
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January 2007
Posts: 672
Location: New South Wales, Australia | Originally posted by Tupperware:
I'm extremely disappointed in myself that I have not come up with some witty response to this thread. Jeezuz, a slow handing curve balll and I completely wiff ...
Dave Awwww...come on Dave...don't disappoint me :D |
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Thumb exercises
